Mercury bioindicators across the Mediterranean basin: evidence from a dataset on Mytilus galloprovincialis

Samples of Mytilus galloprovincialis across the Mediterranean Sea have been considered with a focus on the areas and periods where the mussels recorded high concentrations of mercury. In this regard, some critical areas have been found specifically around Portoscuso (Sardinia) and Livorno harbour (Tuscany), in the Tyrrhenian Sea, as well as Trieste Gulf (Friuli) and Kaštela Bay (Croatia), in the Adriatic one. For these identified hot-spot areas, findings about mercury trends in M. galloprovincialis, have been obtained through an analysis that might be useful to investigate the effectiveness of international regulatory actions for ultimately reducing the mercury exposure, in humans and wildlife.